ning a recruitment
campaign; for this
we are developing
publicity material,
in the production of
which Tony Bray is
involved.
Raising the profile of CoScan is
vitally important.
An opportunity for doing this is through
the International Award; for this we are
seeking a company which is willing to be
our partner and deal with relevant publicity. Approaching companies for financial
support is another campaign in the pipeline.
CoScan wishes to promote friendship.
The main opportunity for us all to meet
in person is, so far, the AGM. This year
it should have taken place in Aarhus but
our journey there had to be postponed
till next year – information about Aarhus will be sent out in August/September. Instead the Scandinavian Klubb of
Lincolnshire stepped in and invited us to
hold the AGM in Lincoln, in The Collection (an award winning art and archaeology museum in the centre of the historic city); eight CoScan societies were
represented. We are most grateful to Kari
Moss Wright and Lynne af Rosenborg for
setting up this meeting, which all present
greatly enjoyed.

Eva Robards
CoScan is an organisation with huge potential and we are making progress in
certain areas such as the Magazine and
contact with member organisations, but
in order to deliver value to our members,
it is essential that we achieve more.
Highest on my wish list has been a
well-designed, functioning website.
Anna Sophie Strandli made an improved
version of the existing website but
stepped down as web editor last autumn.
On behalf of CoScan I thank her and Helena Schmidt for all their dedicated work
on the website since setting it up in 2007.
Our new Executive Committee
member Tony Bray is now supervising a reconstruction of the website,
with a professional web-developer to
equip it with up-to-date functionalities.
Louise Sørensen, a member of the Editorial Board for this Magazine, has agreed
to do the updating once the site is up and
running.
Over the past 36 months we have recruited 11 new member organisations;
the latest ones to join us are Anglo-Norse
Society in Oslo, Manchester Swedish
Language Meetup Group, and UK Sibelius Society – they are indeed welcome!
Unfortunately three organisations (Danish Cultural Institute, Midland Scandinavians and Shetland Norwegian Friendship Society) will discontinue and thus
be lost to us.
With the ambition to expand and bring
together in CoScan as many cultural
Scandinavian organisations within the
British Isles as possible, we are plan-

Information about the meeting in
Aarhus will be sent out
late August/early September.
1

Societies
The Anglo-Norse
Society in London
by Mark Elliott
CoScan has very recently had the
pleasure of welcoming the Anglo-Norse
Society in Oslo as a new member. High
time, perhaps, for this magazine to
include some account of the development
of the elder sister (by three years)
and long-standing CoScan member,
the Anglo-Norse Society of London.
The ANS was founded on 10 April
1918.
Identified most prominently
among its founders were three who
sufficiently represent the broad spectrum
of the society’s interests over the years
– a Norwegian journalist, a British
Member of Parliament and a professor
from University College London.

1950 ball at the Hurlingham Club, London

2

Fortnightly meetings took place first at
a vegetarian restaurant in Holborn, and
one of the early speakers was George
Bernard Shaw, himself a vegetarian, who
is said to have once described Ibsen as a
socialist (Ibsen replied ‘I never belonged,
probably never will belong, to any party’).
From 1924 most meetings were held at
Norway House in Trafalgar Square, the
premises of Den norske Klub. It was
there that a coming-of-age party was held
in April 1939, and ANS’s association
with Norway House continued until
its sale in 1997. (I recall with pleasure
visiting Norway House before my
own assignment to Oslo in 1998, and
hearing two speakers in particular:
Wenche Foss, the grande dame of
Norwegian theatre, and Aase Kleveland,
Norwegian Minister of Culture.)
From 1939 ANS activities were restricted – it operated in cooperation
with the British Norwegian Institute
– but in 1947 the Institute was closed
and the ANS reconstituted, partly through an initiative by the Cultural Attaché
of the Norwegian Embassy.
There were four Norwegian
and four British members
of the committee, and the
annual subscription was
15 shillings (students five
shillings). The Chairman,
Dr Gathorne-Hardy, had
translated Norwegian poetry,
and the Vice-Chairman was
Commander Frank Stagg RN,
whose varied achievements
included the authorship of
a history of Norway. The

programme was comprehensive. As
well as regular lecture meetings, there
were monthly social gatherings – for
bridge, or to sing folk-songs with invited
Norwegian students; recitals; literary
lunches at Foyles; dances, receptions,
annual dinners. One dinner invitation
for 1949 shows the guests of honour
as the Norwegian Ambassador, the
Mayors of Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and
Trondheim, and luminaries of the British
civil service and military establishment.

ANS skiing holiday at Mjølfjell Youth Hostel,
1950s

ANS members ventured further afield.
There were excursions – to historic
houses, to Norwegian ships, to Oxford,
Eastbourne, Folkestone, even Paris.
There was ‘ski-jumping on Hampstead
Heath’ (the mind boggles) and ski
trips to Norway. Norwegian Royal

3

patronage was secured in 1949, and
British in 1951; the archives contain a
letter addressed to the ANS and signed
‘Harald’ and ‘Sonja’ conveying beste
takk for den hyggelige gaven on the
occasion of their wedding in 1968. A
newsletter was circulated from 1950
onwards, including news from Norway,
and at that time there were 300 members.
By the 1970s membership had risen to 700, after a period of expansion.
There were fund-raising initiatives, bursaries were offered to students, stocks of
Norwegian books were held to support
the teaching of Norwegian. Seminars
for Norwegian language teachers were
organised between the 1970s and the
1990s. Cheap charter flights to Norway
were arranged. In 1975 the Anglo-Norse
Review was launched in cooperation
with the Oslo sister society. Distinguished lecturers included Thor Heyerdahl and Thorvald Stoltenberg. There
was a Norwegian Festival in Coventry
Cathedral, apparently with some ANS
involvement. The pattern of well-supported and interesting meetings has continued even into the current internet age
where membership societies struggle to
survive; there are theatre visits, concerts
including musical evenings at the Norwegian Residence. Book sales and bursaries
continue. There is cooperation with the
Norwegian Church, and joint meetings
with other societies and through CoScan.
The foregoing is based almost entirely on the researches of the ANS’s current Secretary, Irene Garland. I have
had the pleasure of sitting with her and
others on the Council of the ANS for the
last fifteen years or so, albeit recently as

something of an outof-town
member.
The challenges of
running a society of
this kind are not reducing, but they are
being met in the ANS
with undiminished
vigour. In company with other London-based societies in
the CoScan network,
we look forward to
a future of continued
cooperation and development.
Mette Marston (with husband) and Aud Dixon, members of the ANS Council,
at 2005 Centenary Dinner at Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence

The Anglo-Norse Society in Oslo
by Sybil Richardson, Secretary
The Anglo-Norse Society in Oslo is a
sister branch of the Anglo-Norse Society
in London. The Society was founded in
London in 1921, its first President being
the world famous Norwegian explorer, scientist and humanitarian Fridtjof
Nansen, who in his own words wished
‘to promote friendship and understanding between Great Britain and Norway’.
Our patrons are H.M. Queen Elizabeth II
and King Harald V. Honorary Presidents
are their Excellencies the Ambassadors
to Great Britain and Norway.

The majority of our members are British
and Norwegian, but we gladly embrace
all who have an interest in things British
and Norwegian be it literature, politics,
music, sport, education, culture, history
etc. Members pay a modest annual subscription which covers entertainment
fees, admission to the various events,
refreshments, postage costs etc. Our
committee of seven members, led by our
Chairman Michael Brooks, work voluntarily for the society.
4

have close collaboration with the Anglican Church of St Edmundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Oslo.
Please visit us on anglonorseoslo.com,
which is always updated with information and newsletters, plus our events calendar, photo gallery and a link section of
contacts which our members find most
useful. Should you wish to make direct
contact with us, please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to
get in touch: richardson.sybil@gmail.
com.

We strive to strengthen the bond between
our two countries, a bond which has
existed over the centuries.
The Committee endeavours to present
a wide range of topics and a variety of
interesting events for our members at our
monthly meetings which take place in the
assembly hall in Frogner Church in Oslo,
where we always take time to mingle
together afterwards over a drink and
refreshments. The highlight of the year is
the Christmas Party with entertainment,
traditional British food and drinks,
rounded off with carol singing. Our other
events include concerts, talks, quizzes,
outings and visits to exhibitions. We also

A talk on The History of Estuary English
presented by Gjertrud Flermoen Stenbrenden,
Associate Professor of English language
history at the University of Oslo

5

Orkney-Norway Friendship Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
syttende mai
the 19 Norwegians whose bodies were
washed up on our shores during World
War II. With the flags of Norway and
Orkney waving in the breeze, a piper
plays as we assemble. A small choir,
sometimes of schoolchildren or more
usually of men, sings an appropriate song
or hymn accompanied on the accordion
by ONFA Chairman Ishbel Borland.
Some verses of poetry are followed by a
short prayer in Norwegian and English,
and visitors are invited to place by the
gravesides bunches of red carnations and
blue & white bluebells, in vases made
for us many years ago by a local potter.
We finish by singing Ja, vi elsker and the
piper plays a lament.
You can imagine that this little memorial ritual is very poignant and moving as
we look over Scapa Flow and think once
more of those who gave their lives for

by Jean Crichton
As you would expect, 17th May is a big
day for ONFA, with a special lunchtime
concert in St Magnus Cathedral, a tog,
an Orkney Islands Council reception in
Kirkwall Town Hall and a Dinner Dance
in the evening. These celebrations are all
enjoyed by local members and friends as
well as Norwegians. Some of them come
over as a group on a holiday tour while
many sail over in yachts from Bergen,
Stavanger and other places on the West
coast. Others join us from the Norwegian
Consulate in Edinburgh or the Embassy
in London.
There is, however, one special event
which means a great deal to us and to
our visitors. At 10.30 in the morning we
meet to have a short memorial service
in St Olafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cemetery at the graves of

6

peace. In fact we are asked to repeat it on
other occasions when there are groups of
Norwegians over – for the Convoy Cup
yacht race for example, or for Viking
archaeological conferences. Last year
was very special, because of the family
of one of the Norwegian seamen; having only recently learned where he was
buried, they were very touched to see
the individual graves so well kept and

not the mass grave they had expected.
[See article on page 21.]
Afterwards, tea or coffee and cakes are
enjoyed, the coffee laced with some of
our world-famous Highland Park whisky.
On what is often a chilly morning, you
can imagine that goes down very well
indeed! We welcome the chance to chat
to our visitors. Come and join us some
time.

A walk down memory lane with the
Scandinavian Klubb of Lincoln (SKOL)
extracts from speech by Kari Moss Wright, President of SKOL,
at the 40th anniversary dinner
SKOL was formed 40 years ago in the
Guildhall in Lincoln. Who would have
dreamt that 40 years later on we would
still be here!
We had in fact held a juletrefest for our
children in Fiskerton Village Hall earlier. Yes, we had small children then! The

7

membership fees were: single £1, family
£2, visiting 50 pence.
We did not have Ryanair or Easyjet then
so to get back home was a much more
difficult, expensive and long trip but in
those days we did have ships we could
travel on. From Newcastle we could sail

to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. What
a difference from today.
So we became like a big family and
our children called us tante and onkel
(aunt and uncle) and still do today. We
concentrated on keeping our traditional
events alive – like children’s Christmas
parties where we were walking around
the Christmas tree and singing our traditional songs. We arranged midsummer,
St Hans, Lucia. We went on walks in
the forests. We held fashion shows for
charities as in Grimsby for the Seamen’s
Mission.
We went on theatre visits and concerts,
and went to York to see Jorvik when the
excavations had just started. We went to
Loughborough to go on the King Haakon
train which took the Norwegian King
and Crown Prince to safety from Oslo in
1940. And Carlsberg gave us free beer as
a bonus!
We used to show Scandinavian films
and I must say we had some interesting
people joining us on those occasions. We
did talks and exhibitions for different
clubs and arranged a big exhibition when
Kunstindustrimuseet in Oslo brought
over an exhibition for the Usher Gallery,
and the Norwegian Ambassador came

to open it – and we had him as Guest of
Honour at a dinner here in the White Hart
Hotel.
We used to have Håndarbeidsklubb
and once we had a lawyer who told us our
rights as mothers or rather the non-rights.
We were advised to go back home and
write our wills! It was not appreciated by
some of our husbands.
I should also mention – Eva Robards,
the CoScan Chairman is here – that we
have always been a great supporter of
CoScan. I have been the President and
Embassy Liaison Officer, Peter was
Chairman for seven years and Norman
Pike an excellent Treasurer for ten years.
We introduced such ideas as Individual
Memberships and the CoScan International Award, and we introduced Mark
Elliott when he was British Ambassador
to Norway; he is now CoScan’S President. With the financial help of Norman
Pike FCA we arranged the CoScan trips
abroad for 15 years; the last trip to Tallinn
was arranged by the SKOL Committee.
I would like to thank all for keeping
our Klubb alive and we all hope SKOL
will continue. As Edith wrote on the
acceptance slip: tenk vores klubb er så
gammel!

Founder members of SKOL
at the anniversary dinner
Photo: A.W. Robards

8

The United Kingdom Sibelius Society
by Edward Clark, President

The UK Sibelius Society is the only
members’ Sibelius society in the world.
Our membership is numbered in the low
hundreds and it arises from many different countries, including Finland/Scandinavia, the US/Canada, Australia/New
Zealand and parts of Asia including Japan. The majority are, of course, in the
UK.
This geographic separation means we
take special care in communicating with
everyone regularly.
Hence our Newsletter is published
every six months and contains articles
often written by members themselves. I
have always taken the view that it helps
all of us to share our common love for
Sibelius. Indeed in the last edition published in January I used the word ‘joy’ for
my love of Sibelius but felt many would
use other words. So I posed the question
‘Why do you love Sibelius?’ The answers
so far are revealing and joy does not seem
to rank highly!!
The society sets out to do a number of
activities:
• It hosts concerts of music by Sibelius and those composers who admire
Sibelius.
• It publishes authoritative articles that

9

enhance our knowledge of Sibelius
as composer and human being.
• It performs Sibelius UK premieres;
so far eight such pieces have been
played, including the original version of Andante Festivo for string
quartet, the first three string quartets
and Kuolema, the full incidental music.
• It arranges special festivals and conferences on aspects of Sibelius’s career.
• It promotes recordings of rare repertoire, of which there is much
available now – songs, piano pieces, violin and piano pieces, choral/
orchestral works, a cappella works
and lots of early chamber music,
many works from which have been
performed in our concerts.
Our relationship with the Finnish Embassy is always a fruitful means of joint
enterprises for concerts and receptions. I
have worked with five ambassadors over
22 years and each one has been a generous source of support and enlightenment
in how Helsinki ticks, in terms of culture
and Finland’s ability to support Sibelius
as a national icon around the world, no
more so than here in the UK, a country
that has recognised Sibelius as a supreme
genius for over one hundred years.
To coin a phrase: ‘the future is bright,
the future is Sibelius’ – or so it seems to
our members whose retention rate is extremely high.
Our web site www.sibeliussociety.info
explains more and how to join.

Nordic Horizons

Anniversaries

(ed. from the website)
Several of our societies have recently
celebrated an anniversary. That is the
similarity between them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a difference is
the time they have been in operation.
Nordic Horizons is the youthful
one with five years from when it was
founded, while Anglo-Danish Society
had its grand 90th Royal anniversary
dinner in December.
Between these two extremes is
SKOL celebrating its 40th anniversary
in February. Likewise, the ScottishFinnish Society and Hampshire AngloScandinavian Society have had their 40th
anniversaries. And Finn-Guild celebrated
its 50th in March (an article about the
early days of Finn-Guild is planned for
CoScan Magazine 2015/2).
To all of these we say:

Nordic Horizons is an informal group of
Scottish professionals who want to raise
the standard of knowledge and debate
about life and policy in the Nordic nations. Director, and co-founder, is radio
broadcaster and journalist Lesley Riddoch.
Public
meetings
in
Edinburgh started in 2010; they give
Nordic experts and specialists the opportunity to share and discuss policy insights
and experiences with an interested audience.
We produce audio recordings of the
meetings and short video interviews with
speakers. You can browse topics, content
and voices on our website. Join our Facebook group, or listen via SoundCloud or
watch via Vimeo, or follow us on Twitter to join live debate and discuss Nordic
news as it happens.

10

Language & culture
His Excellency
Mr Pekka Huhtaniemi,
Ambassador of Finland
to the United Kingdom
by Eva Robards
Pekka Huhtaniemi arrived in London as
Ambassador in June 2010 and his term of
office ends this summer, 2015. Despite
his busy schedule, he kindly agreed to
share some of his experiences with me;
this article is based on an interview which
took place on 9 March at the Finnish
Embassy.
When asked what made him decide on
his future career, the Ambassador replies
that the ground was laid early. His
parents had an interest in international
affairs, read the newspaper Helsingin
Sanomat, and were among the first in
the area to possess a TV. He spent one
summer in Worthing (near Brighton)
learning English, and attended a school
in Sweden. At the university of Helsinki
he studied economics, political history,
political science and communications,
which could have led to a number of
careers. In the end it was the Finnish
Ministry for Foreign Affairs he chose.
He has now served there for more than
forty years, apart from a period in the 90s
as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister
on economic and international affairs,
and another as the first Head of Cabinet
for the Finnish EU Commissioner in

11

Brussels after Finland joined the EU in
January 1995. As Ambassador he has
represented Finland in Geneva, Oslo, and
now London.
London was different from Oslo in very
many ways: the size of the countries and
their capitals, the position they occupied
in the financial market and within the
EU, their climate, and the level of royal
events. ‘London is a coveted posting', the
Ambassador says, ‘as it is such a vibrant
place with so much going on in culture,
media, sports and so on. No two days
have been the same – you are certainly
never bored! Additional benefits are good
infrastructure, a comfortable climate,
and a beautiful countryside steeped in
history.’
However attractive London may be
for foreign diplomats, it takes time
to establish a network in the city and
outside. The Ambassador has managed
this with acclaim as he, in addition to his
conventional ambassadorial work, has
reached out to the Finnish community in

the UK in an extraordinary way. Many
are the Finnish events which he has
honoured. When asked about this, he
replies that the expatriate community of
Finns is a resource, and that they carry out
work on the Embassy’s behalf by building
an impression of their home-country in
every-day life. There are about 15,000
Finns in the UK and the Ambassador is
concerned that they should live a happy
normal life without too many difficulties.
‘The best way,’ the Ambassador
explains, ‘for the Embassy to keep in
touch is through the twenty or so Finnish
schools around the country. People
working in connection with the schools
(in particular active parents, but also other
local Finns, often middle-aged women),
are readily prepared to help in various
ways.’ The Ambassador finds that faceto-face meetings are especially valuable
for reaching out, but he also uses social
media – both Facebook and twitter.
A highlight for the Ambassador during
his time in London was the Olympic and
Paralympic Games. It was a demanding

period, with dignitaries to look after, but
it also offered opportunities to watch a lot
of sports, of which the Ambassador is a
fan. Among other memorable occasions
were the Royal Wedding, and the funeral
of Baroness Thatcher, events of the kind
at which diplomats have a particular role
to play.
The Ambassador is especially pleased
that his Embassy has been able to secure
much coverage of Finland in the context
of the EU debate in the UK and the climate
of euro-scepticism. On a personal level
he is proud of the award he was given in
2014 as European Diplomat of the Year,
for outstanding work and achievement
within London's diplomatic community;
the trophy is displayed in his office.
After leaving London in the summer,
the Ambassador will return to Finland
and Helsinki. Whatever his new post may
be, he says that he ‘would like to continue
promoting Finland – its economy and
culture – to increase knowledge about
Finland for the right reasons’.

Sibelius. An Englishman’s view in the 150th
anniversary year

by Edward Clark, President UK Sibelius Society
Sibelius has been Finland’s best known
citizen on the world stage for over fifty
years. Yet he carried a Russian passport
until he was 53 (when Finland gained
its independence) and he grew up in a
Swedish speaking family, having to learn
Finnish at school.

12

He was one of the most cosmopolitan
composers of his era, studying in Berlin
and Vienna in his early twenties and
finally ending his many travels in Berlin
in 1931. He was unfailingly courteous
to visitors to his home, Ainola, during
his long retirement but deserted his wife

regarded of all 20th century composers.
In his 150th anniversary year global
audiences have a large menu of works
from which to choose depending on
mood and inquisitiveness . We have time
to explore the many small scale (but
delightfully melodic) piano pieces and
the more expansive choral works, often
celebrating Finland’s great Kalevala
national epic tale. The songs are among
his finest creations and the mature Six
Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra
are perfect examples of Sibelius’s
mastery of the miniature form.
Finland can truly bask in Sibelius’s
fame and compositional glory; a creative
spirit who always remembered his early
role in giving pride to his fellow Finns
at the time of distress and dismay under
Russian rule. As a composer of works that
contain both a very special nature poetry
and also some of the most complex music
of his time, Sibelius has left behind a
catalogue of music that enshrines the
diversity of the human spirit in all its ups
and downs.

and children for long drink binges with
friends during the height of his creative
years.
Rather than seeing Sibelius through the
iconic photographs taken in old age we
can now regard him as being a temperamental, sometimes selfish, hard drinking
free spirit, not unlike other members of
the human race perhaps!
None of this explains his extraordinary
genius for writing an almost unparallelled
list of varied works throughout his
first sixty years; the composer of the
world famous Finlandia, Valse Triste
and Karelia Music also composed the
wonderfully austere Fourth Symphony,
the majestic Fifth Symphony and the
utterly unique Tapiola.
Sibelius’s total output (none of it bad)
has conquered most audiences in the
world (I once asked a French lady after
a performance of the Fourth Symphony
‘Was that the first time you heard the
Fourth Symphony, Madame?’ to which
her reply was ‘It was the first and the last
time !!!’) and he is now one of the highest

Part of the Sibelius Monument,
one of Helsinki's landmarks, by
Eila Hiltunen, following a competition organised by the Sibelius
Society of Finland

13

Finnish Tango is the dance therapy for the soul
by Helena Halme, Development Director at Finn-Guild
You may be surprised that in my view,
out of all the Nordic people, we Finns are
the most passionate. That strong emotion
is a Finnish national characteristic may
be a little known fact also because, as
a people, we are most apt at hiding our
passion – until we hear a tango piece.

Photo: Anssi Leppänen/Yle

If you’re in a dance restaurant, or at a
summer dance in Finland, you’ll notice
that the floor will be empty until the first
tango is played. We Finns love moving
along to this slow, staccato beat. With
serious, concentrated faces, you’ll see the
couples move swiftly, and expertly, along
the floor. The Finnish tango is danced
with close contact in the pelvis, upper
thighs, and the upper body, with frequent

14

dips and rotations. In the Finnish tango
feet stay close to the floor, with no kicks
as in the Argentine tango. The lyrics in
the Finnish tango are important, as is the
accordion, which has a prominent place
in the score.
The Finnish Tango emerged at the
same time as the country gained its
independence. Nobody seems to know
who brought the first tango music into the
country around 1910, but by the 1930’s
Finnish musicians started writing their
own tango pieces, and after the Second
World War, tango became the most
popular form of music in the country.
Perhaps it’s the slow, but persistent,
rhythm in a tango, which appeals to the
Finnish sense of deep melancholy. This
basic sense of drama is also reflected in
the lyrics of the tangos. The most popular
themes are love and sorrow, or longing for
something unattainable, such as a warm,
far-flung country, or one’s homestead – a
distant land of happiness. Tango is not a
light-hearted business in Finland.
One of the most revered Finnish
tangos, and the one I remember from my
childhood is Finnish classic Satumaa;
(Wonderland), sung by Reijo Taipale.
This is a tale about a paradise far away,
so unattainable that the singer feels he’s
a bird with clipped wings. Another tango,
Metsäkukkia (Forest flowers) sung by
Olavi Virta, is a song about a lost summer
and lost love, rediscovered in the spring.
Whereas Kotkan Ruusu (Rose of Kotka),
sang by Eino Gron, tells the tale of a

woman of the night, told with the most
passionate words allowable in the 1950’s,
when the song was written. Its beat is
such that I’d defy anyone listening to it,
not to immediately want to get up and
dance – or at least tap a foot.
Although the most popular tangos
were written in the 1950’s, they were
constantly played on the radio when I
was growing up in central Finland. As
a child, I’d watch my parents and other
grown-ups crowd the dance floor when
a popular Finnish tango was played at
family parties. My first boyfriend was
a passionate tango dancer and taught
me the steps, although I think you’d be
pressed to find a Finn even today who
doesn’t know how to dance a tango.
Many of the tango songs have also
been re-recorded many times, and new
tangos have been written. Some, such
as Kotkan Ruusu, or Suyyspihlajan Alla
(Under the Mountain Ash tree) sung by
Arja Saijonmaa, became
popular in Sweden amongst
the large Finnish ex-pat
population in the 1970’s and
80’s.
Even today, the Finnish
tango, as popular music
and dance, is thriving,
although it’s no longer the
chart-topping music of the
post-war era. There’s a
hugely popular competition,
Tangomarkkinat
(Tango
Market), started in the mideighties and held in the
central town of Seinäjoki,
where a Tango Queen and
King are crowned each

summer. The 2015 Tango Market is a
five-day affair on 8-12 July, with tango
lessons, tango karaoke, concerts and most
important of all the tango competition
final.
The event attracts more than 100,000
visitors (out of 5 million residents) and
the winners of the song competition
become instant celebrities in Finland, and
often have successful long-term careers
in the music business.
So, if you’re near a dance floor in
Finland this summer, have a go and get
some therapy for the soul!
Information
on
the
Seinäjoki
Tango Market can be found at
www.tangomarkkinat.fi
Helena Halme is the author of three
novels set in Finland: The Englishman,
Coffee and Vodka [see review on p. 31],
and The Red King of Helsinki.

15

Photo: Visit Finland

Why the most popular book in Denmark is a
songbook
by Kåre Gade, Press Attaché at the Embassy of Denmark, London
poetry, sermons, essays and history
books – and his works are still being
studied and discussed by scholars. Unlike
Kierkegaard, Grundtvig is barely known
outside Denmark, but his influence
on Danish society is far stronger than
Kierkegaard’s. Even today, almost 150
years after his death in 1872, his presence
is felt strongly in the Danish approach to
religion, education and politics.
Folkelighed means ‘popularity’, but
in Grundtvig’s use the word refers to
something that is genuine and belongs to
the people. The word oplysning means
‘enlightenment’, but in a deeper and
more spiritual sense than how the word
is often used. Oplysning is more than just
knowledge, it is wisdom and formation
too. When Grundtvig, rather reluctantly,
accepted that absolutism would have to
give way to democracy in Denmark, he
realised that the people (folket) needed
enlightenment (oplysning) in order to
manage their new responsibilities.
One of his ideas was to establish
folkehøjskoler: boarding schools where
young adult men – and women – from the
villages and farms could go to be taught
history, literature and the Bible as well as
modern farming techniques. The students
would not sit any exams, they would not
get a diploma, but when leaving after
six months they would be ‘enlightened’.
Grundtvig was never involved in putting

The Danish tradition of communal
singing is anchored in the songbook
Højskolesangbogen, a must-have in folk
high schools, sports clubs, village halls
and parish churches.
It is said that the Danish tradition of
communal singing began one evening in
1838 at Borch's Student Residence Hall
in Copenhagen. The Danish poet, priest
and politician N.F.S. Grundtvig had just
finished a speech, when the audience
spontaneously stood up and started singing Kommer hid, I piger små (‘Gather
round, you little girls’) – a popular song
about the naval hero Willemoes, penned
by Grundtvig and set to music by C.E.F.
Weyse.
The story may be no more than a
memorable anecdote. Nevertheless it
is indisputable that Grundtvig played
a crucial role in the remarkable rise of
communal singing in Denmark in the
late 19th Century. The phenomenon was
closely linked to folkehøjskolen, the adult
folk high school, which was founded on
Grundtvig's ideas about folkelighed and
oplysning - two words that are equally
impossible to translate into English.
Grundtvig was a formidable and
influential figure in his time. Like
his contemporary Søren Kierkegaard
Grundtvig was impressively productive,
writing thousands and thousands of
pages in different genres – hymns,
16

Communal singing from the Højskolesangbog in the garden at the Danish Church in London

these thoughts into practice – in fact he
never visited any of the folk high schools
that were established in his name – but
his followers developed his ideas, and
folk high schools started to appear all
over Denmark: Rødding, Testrup, Askov,
Vallekilde, Ryslinge and many more.
Drawing on the tradition established
at Borch’s Residence Hall that evening
in 1838, communal singing played an increasingly important role at the folk high
schools. Songs would be sung before and
after lectures; often songs that reflected
the subject of the lecture. The importance
of the Danish language and history was
accentuated through the songs. Pride in
being Danish and consciousness about
ones national heritage was another common theme, not least after Denmark was
defeated in the Second Prussian War in
1864 and lost one third of the kingdom.

The folk high schools' first attempts
at curating and publishing collections
of songs suitable for communal singing
were made in the 1870s and contained
mainly hymns and songs written by
Grundtvig. But when the first edition of
Højskolernes Sangbog, or just Højskolesangbogen (‘The Folk High Schools'
Song Book’) was published in 1894, it
presented older hymns and traditional
folksongs as well as contemporary songs
alongside Grundtvig's works.
A great many of the songs that are still
among the most popular in Højskolesangbogen were written around the turn
of the century and adopted by Højskolesangbogen in the early 19th Century.
Their authors were part of what came to
be known as det folkelige gennembrud, a
movement within the arts, which wanted
to describe how modernity and industri17

alism challenged the traditional way of
composed modern and groundbreaking
living, and which aimed at telling the
symphonies, and he saw no contradicstory from the common man's perspection in doing both. Together with Laub,
tive. Many of these songs – by Johannes
Aagaard and Ring he published the first
V. Jensen, Thøger Larsen, Johan Skjoldofficial melody collection for Højskoleborg, Ludvig Holstein and Jeppe Aakjær
sangbogen in 1922, setting a high bench– describe an agricultural society that
mark for singable and durable tunes for
was already vanishing.
communal singing. The four composers
The vast production of new songs was
are still the most well-represented in the
followed by an equally industrious procurrent edition of Højskolesangbogen. 36
duction of new melodies. Fornyelsen af
of the melodies are by Nielsen, more than
den folkelige sang, the ‘revival of the
anyone else.
popular song’ (again, not a very precise
Abroad Carl Nielsen's popular songs
translation), were fronted by four differare about as little known as Grundtvig's
ent composers with a shared ambition to
poetry, but their impact on Danish culture
write tunes that were simple, yet beautican hardly be overrated. Far more than
ful and firmly rooted in tradition. Thomas
Nielsen's symphonies it is songs like Jeg
Laub was an organist who mainly wrote
ved en lærkerede, Jens Vejmand and Den
melodies for hymns. Thorvald Aagaard
danske sang er en ung blond pige that are
and Oluf Ring were both teachers and
loved by the Danes. All Nielsen's songs
wrote 500 melodies between them, but
have recently been translated into English
never ventured into other genres. None of
and can be downloaded from the Danish
these three composers are known outside
Royal Library's website, as can Nielsen's
Denmark.
sheet music. Whether this translation will
The fourth composer however, was
open the British Nielsen fans' eyes to his
Carl Nielsen, whose
150th anniversary is
celebrated worldwide
in 2015. He was already an internationally renowned composer of symphonies,
operas, concertos and
quartets when he took
on the job of writing
melodies for communal singing. He wrote
modest, plain and
beautiful
melodies
as effortlessly as he Communal singing at the Danish Embassy (London) weekly staff meeting
18

songs remains to be seen. After all, the
songs are closely connected to a tradition
of communal singing, which is not easily
shared with non-natives.
For the folk high school students the
communal singing came to epitomise
everything they learned and experienced
at the folk high school, and when they
went back to the farms they brought the
songbook and the songs with them. From
the folk high schools the tradition of
communal singing spread to the rest of
the Danish society. Sets of Højskolesangbogen soon became a must-have in sports
clubs, village halls and vicarages. To this
day Højskolesangbogen, now in its 18th
edition, remains the undisputed canon of
communal songs in Denmark. There are
currently 572 songs in Højskolesangbogen and it is the best selling book in Denmark, with the recent edition having sold
more than 300.000 copies.

The translations of Nielsen’s songs can
be downloaded from the Danish Royal
Library’s website (bit.ly/1xpekUG). All
Nielsen’s works are also available at the
website (three bindings contain songs):
bit.ly/1Hu4ELk. The Unknown Carl
Nielsen’, a gift CD with Nielsen’s songs
in English sung by the Danish Ars Nova
choir and soloists, has recently been published by the Royal Library and DaCapo
Records.
19

It's Sonja with a J and
Larsen with an E
by Sonja Crisp,
Lord Mayor of York (since May 2015)

By English standards the spelling of my
name is incorrect. This was always a very
sore point with my father, and so from a
young age I had learned to introduce myself as ‘Sonja with a J’ and ‘Larsen with
an E’, which often led to a conversation
about my Danish heritage.
Tage Larsen, my father, was born in
Aarhus. His parents were unmarried and
left him at birth at an orphanage from
which he was adopted at a very young
age. Tage was a fisherman during the
German occupation; small fishing vessels were still allowed out to fish within
a limited distance from the mainland providing they returned to port by a certain
time.
With news of forced labour camps and,
increasingly, rumours of death camps in
parts of Northern Europe, Tage feared
that there would be mounting pressure
on their government to give up Danish
Jews, some of whom were friends and
neighbours. It was a frequent topic of
conversation between him and the other
two crew members whilst out fishing.
He became increasingly frustrated by the
feelings of helplessness at not being able
to do something about what he saw as a
growing menace.
In 1943, on one fishing trip, the weather
worsened and the two older crew members
told him that they were not setting off
back to port or weighing anchor to ride
out the weather; instead they were going

to attempt to escape to England in their
small wooden seiner. Tage had no prior
warning of the plan, and as he was only
19 years old, the crew feared he would
be tempted to say goodbye to his family,
which could have jeopardised their
plans. They reasoned that the occupying
German forces wouldn’t be too keen to
send out patrol boats in bad weather for
one late fishing vessel. When they failed
to return at all, it would be assumed the
boat had gone down with all hands. So,
using the storm for cover, and after a
nerve-racking journey across the North
Sea, they eventually arrived in England,
hungry and tired.
After a brief stay in an internment
camp in Whitehaven until the British authorities were sure they were who they
claimed to be, and still speaking no English, they were put to work. Tage served
as a fisherman and on the convoys of
supply vessels in the North Atlantic. This
was dangerous work, though vital to the
war effort. At last he felt able to do his
bit to fight the rising threat of fascism in
Europe. Supporting the war effort in England was his way of fighting against the
Nazi threat, his way of speaking out.
His family thought him dead for three
years until he was repatriated to Denmark
in January 1946. By then he felt disenfranchised and after a brief stay with
family returned to England, eventually
becoming a Naturalised British Citizen.
This is not a story of exceptional personal suffering and it was certainly not
an unusual occurrence, as other Danish
fishing crews did the same, but to me it
was an example of how we can speak out

in different ways by doing whatever we
can to oppose the unacceptable.
Tage was very proud of his Danish
roots and of what we now know to have
been the stance of the Danish Government: when requested by the Nazis to
hand over Danish Jews, they used delaying tactics for as long as possible, thus
saving many thousands of lives.
A friend who knew Dad's story asked
me if I, as a newly elected politician,
could influence the City of York council
to hold an annual Holocaust Memorial
Commemoration, as he had tried several
times without success. Like the terrier
that I am – very much my father’s
daughter! – I set out to do exactly that.
Holocaust Memorial Day has now been
held annually in York as an official civic
event since 2008. The city marks the day
by coming together to remember and
reflect on the past and on ways to ensure
everyone has a safer and better future.
Dad and I spent many hours talking
global politics; he called it 'putting the
world to right’. He inspired within me
the belief that not only should we do our
best to speak out when we see injustice
unfolding, but also how important it is to
pass on the message to future generations,
lest the lessons of the Holocaust and other
genocides be lost.
I believe that the passion I have for
rallying against injustice was my father’s
legacy to me. If Dad were here, he would
probably say my achievement in securing
the annual commemoration of Holocaust
Memorial Day in York is the thing I
should be most proud of in my career,
and he's probably right.
20

A heartwarming story

My wife Jorunn comes from Kristiansund and is the daughter of Johan’s sister Hansine. Jorunn and I, our daughter
Hanne, and Jorunn’s younger brother
Terje decided to travel to Orkney to participate in the events of 17 May 2014. As
far as we know, no one from Johan’s family had visited his grave before. It was
a great experience for us. We will never
forget that day: the ceremony at the cemetery, the procession in the streets and
the following celebrations. We are very
grateful to see that the grave is taken care
of so nicely with flowers and attention –
thanks to all of you!

by Einar Johannesson
Johan Oluf Brandsvik was a sailor who
at the age of 24 years signed on the SS
Faro. He had spent five weeks back home
in Kristiansund in the autumn of 1939 but
not been able to find any work there.
On 28 January 1940 his ship, together
with another Norwegian and two Danish
ones, was torpedoed by the Germans. Out
of the 15 men on board D/S Faro eight
died, and Johan was one of these. His
mother is said to have died from grief. On
1 May 1945, the Norwegian peace day,
the Brandsvik family was the only one in
town flying their flag at half-mast.
In 1949 a book was published in Norway called Our fallen men. The book listed all the Norwegians who had died in
WW2 and had a photo of Johan with a
text saying that he was buried in Kirkwall
in Orkney. The foreword of the book stated that all families of the fallen Norwegians would receive a copy of the book,
but the Brandsvik family never got theirs.
A few years ago I found a copy of the
book in a second hand shop. On an internet page on war sailors, I found that
the ship sank off Copinsay (Orkney), and
on the Scottish War Graves Project page
I found a picture of Johan’s tombstone
at Kirkwall cemetery. Then I found the
Orkney Norway Friendship Association
on Facebook, and I read all about the ceremony and celebrations you have every
17 May.

Written for ONFA.
Edited, and published with permission

21

My Norwegian connection
by Roy JL Cooney, Taunton, Somerset
During my childhood my mother often
mentioned her grandfather, Nicolai
Simonsen, which meant little to me
until, in the 1960’s, she gave me some
letters and his Norwegian passport. The
document had been folded many times
and was in a very delicate condition.
My mother’s wish was that I should
make enquiries to learn a little about
any Norwegian relatives there may have
been.

Nicolai’s passport issued in Bergen 1859

The last known contact was a letter (dated 1913) to my grandfather from a relative in Naustdal, Sunnfjord, in western
Norway. In this letter the writer said that
Nicolai’s brother, Ole, had bought a farm
at Svorstøl and she also wrote that the
family was then quite poor and there was
no legacy for Nicolai.

22

My first attempt to make contact with
possible family was by writing to the
Norwegian embassy in London and
although they could not help me with
information, I was advised to write to the
priest in Naustdal. I sent a long letter in
English to Soknepresten but lost patience
waiting for a reply. I then bought a copy
of ‘Teach Yourself Norwegian’ and
had the temerity to compose a letter in
Norwegian. Shortly afterwards I received
a letter from Sønstegård who said both
letters had been received and understood
– very polite, but I am sure the first more
easily than the latter. He wrote that he had
traced a family descending from Ole. My
firemenninger were three sisters and two
brothers. The priest invited my family and
me to visit him and take the opportunity
to meet my long lost relatives. It was an
invitation I couldn’t refuse, despite the
fact that we had two young sons, Robert
and Michael, and my wife Jean was six
months pregnant with Elizabeth.
The pre-motorway journey by car to
Newcastle was long and tiresome but
made in good time to catch the ferry
to Bergen. We spent the first night in
Bergen but it was impossible to book a
taxi from the hotel for early the next day.
Despite that, we eventually arrived at
the quayside only to see the ferry ready
to sail. We were lucky, however, and the
gangway was re-lowered especially for
us to embark!
After about eight hours we arrived at
Vadheim in Sognefjord and were met
by the priest’s son, Per Ivor, who drove

us to Førde i Sunnfjord. We spent the
night in the vicarage and were excitedly
introduced to my cousin Idrun. She had
cycled about fifteen kilometres from her
farm to Førde and asked us to stay with
her for a few days. She apologised that it
could not be longer but explained that her
sisters wanted us to also spend some time
with them. The following three weeks
were full of visits to other members of the
family and to spectacular fjords, fosser
and fjeller.
At that time few of my older relatives
spoke English but my pathetic attempt
at Norwegian – based on the book and
an ancient Linguaphone record course
– helped to bridge the gap. Despite this
major obstacle, we did manage to make
contact with the help of younger members
of the family and friends invited to meet
us and act as interpreters. The mutual
limitations of language meant that I was
unable adequately to convey our gratitude
for the superb hospitality that we, as
complete strangers, received. Things
progressed, however, and with repeated
exchanges of holidays, verbal contact
has improved tremendously. Indeed, I

learned enough Norwegian to provide a
translation service to my old employer,
the UK Hydrographic Office and to
Sjøkartverket in Stavanger, translating
numerous nautical publications.
Norway has been an inspiration in
so many ways, not least as subjects for
my copperplate engravings of Norway’s
famous stavekirker.
My main treasure from Nicolai’s
effects is a manuscript map of Syd
Norge. It is contained in a leather case
and consists of thirty-six panels on
linen. It is superbly drawn in fantastic
detail, dated 1815 and commissioned by
the King of Sweden. I understand from
The Norwegian Mapping Authority that
the map is one of only four that were
produced: the whereabouts of the other
three is unknown. Also a complete
mystery is how it came to be in Nicolai’s
possession when he came to England.
Stamps on the back of the passport
show that by the time Nicolai reached
England he had travelled via Germany
and then on to the Orkney Islands, where
he married Mary Thompson before
settling in London.

Fantoft church
Illustrations: Roy JL Cooney

Lom church

23

Chichester, Chester, Gatcombe (Isle of
Wight), Fritwell (Oxfordshire), Poughill
(Cornwall), and Creeting (Suffolk).
Wellow Abbey, Grimsby (Lincolnshire)
and Herringfleet Priory (Norfolk) were
under the patronage of St Olaf and both

St Olaf in England
by the Revd Canon John Toy, PhD FSA
The patron saint of Norway, and much
celebrated in the rest of Scandinavia,
also makes his appearance in England
from the first decade or so after his death
until the present. He was killed in battle
near Trondheim on July 29th, 1030 by
the forces of Cnut (Canute), King of
Denmark and England. Cnut was trying
to enforce his claim over Norway at
the time, but soon after 1030, when the
English Bishop of Nidaros (Trondheim),
Grimkel, had declared Olaf to be a saint
and martyr in the cause of Christianity,
Cnut promoted the cult throughout his
dominions. Most Scandinavians by this
time were professing Christians because
they saw the advantages of, on the one
hand, being part of Christian Europe and,
on the other hand, the superiority of the
‘White Christ’ over the trinity of Thor,
Odin and Freja.
Although we mainly know the Vikings
as raiders and settlers (they were both
on a large scale), by the early 1000s
many were living as peaceful citizens,
as farmers, peasants, thanes, priests and
bishops and, apart from their accents
and remnants of their culture, were
indistinguishable from their neighbours.
This is why Cnut’s campaign took root
throughout England.
What evidence is left to us of this?
Churches under the patronage of St Olaf
in London, York, Exeter and Abbotsbury
(Dorset), known to have existed in
the 11th century; others in Norwich,

The seal of St Olave’s Priory, Herringfleet,
Norfolk

24

have representations of him on their
seals.
So to pictures of him: usually
recognised by holding an axe or halberd
but also often a crown, an urn or orb,
holding three stones and standing on a
dragon with a king’s head. There is a fine
representation of him on the rood screen
at Barton Turf, Norfolk, where he has a
label with his name ‘Sanctus Holofius’,
wearing a crown and holding a spear/
halberd and three stones.
The same three stones appear in a
window in Holy Trinity, Goodramgate,
York
where Olaf crowned appears
without any other symbol. The three
stones relate to one of the legends of St
Olaf about an evil man in Denmark who
would not keep St Olaf’s Day (29 July)
as a feast day when no work was done

but commanded his pious servant to
make bread buns on that day; she, greatly
distressed, put the dough in the oven but

Sanctus Holofius from the rood screen of Barton
Turf, Norfolk. With permission of the Rector

St Olaf turned them into stones to punish
the impious man.
On a rood screen at Catfield, Norfolk,
Olaf appears with his crown and halberd,
and St Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Abbey, York used to have
a window to him, as we know from
notes made of the windows in the 14th
century. York Minster also has a possible
representation of him in the vestibule to
the Chapter House and St Olave, Hart St
in the City of London has a fine modern
figure of the saint in its east window
with a crown, halberd, orb and standing
on a crowned human-headed dragon.

25

This church has much information about
Olaf for its many visitors, with a card to
take away with a figure and a modern
prayer. Just over London Bridge, on the
east of the Southwark side, is the site
of the earliest known Olaf church in
London, now demolished and replaced
by a modern office block called St Olafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
House with an image of the saint on its
corner facing the bridge.
These testimonies to the cult of St Olaf
through the centuries in this country are
extended by evidence from surviving
liturgical manuscripts: his feast day was
kept in many churches as he appears in
the 11th century calendars of Exeter and
Ramsey Abbey in Cambridgeshire and
later manuscripts of Barking and Syon
Abbeys near London, Launceston Priory
in Cornwall and Faversham Priory, Kent,
Norwich Cathedral Priory, Barnwell
Priory, Cambridgeshire, and Fotheringay
church, Northamptonshire.
The two most interesting however are
the famous Red Book of Darley from the
11th century, which has the three Latin
prayers for the mass of St Olaf, exactly
as celebrated throughout the middle ages
in Norway itself. The other is a psalter
of Carrow Priory, just outside Norwich,
where the first letter of the first psalm
(B for Beatus, usually highly decorated)
has six scenes of the life of St Olaf, two
being given to the legend of an English
priest, suspected by jealous brothers
of intentions towards their sister; they
mutilated him, cutting off his hands, feet
and tongue but when the poor man called
on Olaf for help he was fully restored.
Thus Olaf has been and still is a link
between Britain and the Nordic lands.

Viking Navigation

A big question that has taxed marine
historians and archaeologists over many
years is how the Vikings managed to
find their way around the seas, especially
when they were out of sight of land. They
undertook formidable passages in their
sturdy boats, to and fro across the North
Atlantic, without the help of navigational
aids that a modern sailor would consider
to be absolutely essential.
For thousands of years, sailors across
the world have moved mainly along
coastlines, drawing on accumulated local
experience and skills in pilotage. Heading
out further from shore, they still have

part 1

by Prof. Anthony W. Robards
More than a millennium ago seafarers
from countries that we now know as
Norway, Denmark and Sweden roamed
the oceans and waterways from the
Black Sea to North America and from
Iceland to the Mediterranean. We call
this diverse group of people The Vikings
and they were at the height of their
maritime powers between the 9th and
15th Centuries.

Diagrammatic representation of the North Atlantic Ocean showing the seven sea routes used by the
Vikings, as recorded in the Sagas. Route 3 is 1500 nautical miles along parallel 61Ë&#x161;N from Hernar in
Norway to Hvarth in Greenland. (Adapted, with permission, from Thirslund, S., Sailing Directions of
the North Atlantic Viking Age (from about the year 860 to 1400). Journal of Navigation, 1997. 50(01): p.
55-64.)

26

numerous indicators to help determine
their position and direction of travel.
Even when out of sight of land, clouds,
sounds, smells, wind speed and direction,
sea swell, wave direction, set of the
current, water colour, water temperature
and taste, appearance and flight direction
of birds, and the presence and movement
of migratory mammals such as whales,
would all have provided these mariners
with valuable clues about their position
and heading. All of this would have been
in the memes of the Vikings who proved
to be such masters of the ocean in their
small boats.
However, such skills would need
augmentation when the ship is
significantly offshore with the horizon
less than 10 miles away from the eye
level of a sailor standing on the low deck
of a Viking boat. It is this aspect that
creates such interest in the astonishing
navigational achievements of these brave
seafarers.
Until the invention of the marine chronometer by John Harrison in the mid18th Century, navigators could never be
sure where they were around the globe
(longitude) even though their knowledge
and understanding of the movement of
the sun and stars allowed them to make
reasonable estimates of their position up
and down the globe (latitude).
For hundreds of years, sailors used a
method of navigation termed ‘latitude
navigation’: that is, they would head up
or down a coast line until they reached
the latitude that they required, at which
point they would turn either east or west
towards their intended destination. That’s
when things become tricky because, once

27

their starting point is long behind them
while the destination is hundreds of miles
ahead, how do they manage to keep on
the right heading? That appears to be
one of the cardinal skills perfected by the
Vikings.
It is reasonable to suppose that most
of the early Viking expeditions would
have followed along coastlines rather
than headed out to the open ocean. For
example, it is now thought that the early
raid on Lindisfarne (Holy Island – North
East coast of England) in 793 was by
Vikings from the west coast of Norway.
They could have arrived without ever
having been far out of sight of land
although we do not know the actual
route taken or whether there was an
open sea crossing. Over the next three or
four hundred years Viking sea passages
became more and more adventurous and,
no doubt, navigational skills became
correspondingly honed.
So what did the Vikings have at their
disposal to help with navigation and,
equally importantly, what did they not
have? I have already mentioned the
pilotage and navigational skills that
would have been acquired by experience
but long ocean passages need more than
that. We are all familiar with the magnetic
compass which is a basic tool for any
sailor and yet this does not appear to
have been available in Europe before the
13th Century after having been invented
by the Chinese hundreds of years earlier.
The magnetic compass is actually a fickle
friend anyway in the high latitudes of
the Viking homelands thanks largely to
variable magnetic fields. It has sometimes
been suggested that the Vikings used

lodestone (a naturally occurring mineral
– magnetite) as a primitive compass but
there is no evidence for this. However,
they developed a good representation of
what we would understand as compass
bearings through their áttir (‘main
directions’) system. Lack of written
records or log-keeping meant that their
ocean passages were essentially planned
from a starting point to a destination
that would have been passed on from
navigator to navigator and mainly stored
in their memories.
By the eighth century Norsemen
had already settled in the Shetlands,
Orkneys and Hebrides. Iceland was
first discovered by Vikings sometime
between 860 and 870, although Irish
monks had actually beaten them to it by
a hundred years or so; and by the tenth
century the Norsemen had spread west
to Greenland from where they eventually
discovered North America. It is clear that
these venturesome seafarers were now
masters of the North Atlantic and, for
the first time, their sailing instructions,
rather than being passed on by word of
mouth, were written down as parts of the
Icelandic Sagas in the early fourteenth
century. Two relevant works are the
Landnámabόk and the Hauksbόk which,
between them, defined seven different
sailing directions along with estimates
of passage time (Fig. p.26). Here is just
one example from the Hauksbόk: ‘Wise
men … say … from Hernar [one of the
northernmost islands in the Øygarden
archipelago just north of modern Bergen
– a perfect stepping-off point to sail west]
in Norway, head due west towards Hvarf
in Greenland, and you will have sailed

north of Hjaltland [the Shetland Islands],
so that you just glimpse it in clear
weather, but south of the Faroe Islands,
so that the sea [the horizon] is right in
between the distant mountains, and thus
also south of Iceland.’
Starting from Hernar and staying
close to latitude 61° North would guide
the sailors over the 1500 nautical miles
to the southern reaches of Greenland
where they could return to coastal sailing
and navigate around to the western side.
Falling much below latitude 60° would
be disastrous because the voyagers would
miss Greenland altogether, as Bjarni
Herjólfsson found to his cost (albeit
setting out from Iceland) in 896 when
storms and currents swept him south of
Greenland and he became the first Viking
to see, but not land on, the North American
continent. Departing directly westwards
from Stad or Trondheim would similarly
provide reliable latitude sailing to the
Faroes or to Southern Iceland. But how
did these seamen repeatedly manage to
accomplish these extraordinary feats of
navigation and what aids did they use?
I will tackle this exciting, topical and
controversial subject in the next part of
my article on Viking Navigation.

28

Illustration: Roy JL Cooney

From the bookshelf

Review by Brita Green
The book is advertised as ‘the first
comprehensive history of the Sami
people’. It aroused my interest because,
like most Scandinavians who do not
live in the far north, I have very little
knowledge of the indigenous population
of our countries.
In English, ‘Lapland’ usually means
the area inhabited by Sami people, ‘the
region which forms the most northerly
portion of the Scandinavian peninsula,
divided between Finland, Norway,
Sweden and Russia’ (OED). In both
Sweden and Finland, ‘Lappland’ has a
more restricted meaning: both countries
have counties with that name, so there
the word ‘Sameland’ has been introduced
* using the usual English spelling without an accent

29

with a more general meaning. Neil Kent
uses the Sami word Sápmi or ‘the Sámi
homeland’. His book is a very detailed
account of how the Sami people settled
in these northern countries, how they
have interacted with other populations,
and how things have developed over the
centuries.
The Sami people may have lived in
northern Scandinavia and Russia for
thousands of years: ‘The oldest presence
of human settlements in the Sámi
homeland dates back to 9000 BC’, though
it is not certain that these people were
the direct ancestors of the present-day
Sami. There are Sami rock engravings
from 6000 years ago. ‘Already by the
first millennium BC it is clear that a
Sámi people with a distinctive ethnic
identity and commonality of language
becomes recognisable’. And by the
beginning of the Christian era the Sami
were established in northern Norway and
Sweden, in the whole of Finland, on the
Kola peninsula and in Russian Karelia.
The earliest mention of the Sami in
writing is in Tacitus' Germania (AD 98),
where they are referred to as fenni. A
Byzantine historian who wrote about them
in the 6th century called them skritiphinoi
– skiing fenni. The first illustration of
a Sami (or a Norwegian?) on skis is on
Hereford's Mappa Mundi, which dates
from about 1300. Their association with
reindeer is first mentioned by an 8th
century Lombard historian.
In the Sami religion a shaman (named
Noaidi) plays a central role. The famous
yoiks (chanted songs, often accompanied
on decorated drums) were ‘central to the

Sámi's expression of their place in the
universe and their relationship to one
another and the rest of the natural world’.
Christian missionaries and governments
tried to suppress what they regarded as
Sami sorcery, and in the 17th century
shamans were burnt at the stake for
witchcraft. During the 19th century, the
most important Christian revival leader
was Lars Levi Laestadius, who had a Sami
mother and who, in order to find common
ground with his parishioners, borrowed
the Sami's own familiar concepts and
adapted them to Christianity. His vision
‘emphasised not only the forgiveness of
sin but also an abhorrence of alcohol, a
substance which created many social
problems among the Sámi’.
There are several Sami languages or
dialects, not all mutually intelligible.
They belong to the Finno-Ugric group,
which is not part of the Indo-European
family, so they are not related to the
Scandinavian languages or to Russian.
They are closer to Finnish and Estonian,
and also to Hungarian. Today, it is the
linguistic heritage, the culture and way
of life that most unite the different Sami
groups. The book has chapters on family
life, on their society, education and
culture: their dwellings and arts and crafts,
their literature and music, and on their
reindeer herding and other livelihoods.
Since the end of the 20th century, Finnish,
Norwegian and Swedish Sami have had
their own parliaments. The book brings
us right up to date, with presentations of
feminist writers of the 21st century and
discussions of the conflicting interests of

ecology, reindeer grazing and the forestry
industry.
With his emphasis on historical
detail, Neil Kent has produced quite a
dense book, packed full of dates, names
and other facts, and (to quote another
reviewer) he certainly shows us that
there is more to the Sami ‘than reindeer
and Yuletide tourism’. The book has no
illustrations. It would have been nice to
see what the Sami rock carvings look
like, or the skier on Mappa Mundi,
without having to resort to the internet.
There is an extensive bibliography and an
index to names and facts.
Neil Kent, The Sámi Peoples of the North,
A Social and Cultural History. Published
by Hurst & Company, London, 2014.
ISBN 978-1-84904-257-4.

A reindeer among the rock engravings in
Alta, northern Norway (World Heritage Site)

30

able to handle the new demands, turns to
violence against Mamma.
Interwoven is the story about Eeva
30 years later; she decides to return to
Tampere to see her dying grandmother
whom she hasn’t met since moving to
Stockholm. Confronted with the past
in various ways, she discovers family
secrets with which she has to come to
terms. But in the end she appears to be
reconciled to both past and present, so
despite her doubts about returning to
Tampere, the journey has enriched her.
Helena Halme’s books make easy reading,
but underlying are disturbing conflicts.
The main ones in Coffee and Vodka are
integration into a foreign country and
family secrets. The title of the book
presumably refers to a Scandinavian
cocktail [kask].
The storyline is that the seemingly
happy family, living in Tampere, leave for
Stockholm where Pappa has found better
paid work – as many Finns did in the early
70s. Mamma supports the move, and the
two daughters (teenager Anja and younger
sister Eeva) accept it despite leaving their
beloved grandmother behind.
Pappa, Mamma, and their daughters
experience a range of reactions in
Stockholm: hostility/indifference/
helpfulness – and they deal with these in
different ways. Vodka is what Pappa turns
to when he finds the going tough, Mamma
learns the language and disappears
into the new culture, Anja is even more
radical about getting integrated, and
Eeva is doing the best she can to juggle
cultural and family issues. The family
is split up when Pappa, not having been

A true story about Kaisu who leaves her
war-torn country for England and comes
to end up in a difficult marriage.
Kaisu Cornish, From Finland with Love
Paperback, Perfect Publishers Ltd, April
2014.
ISBN-10: 1905399960, ISBN-13: 9781905399963.

31

Kaisu Cornish is a member of
the Anglo-Finnish Society.

A historic tale about the human will to
survive: 1867, a year of devastating
famine in Finland, Marja sets off
on foot through the snow with her
two young children. Their goal is
St Petersburg, where people say
there is bread. Translated from the
Finnish by Emily and Fleur Jeremiah.

Swedish Lapland, 1717. Maija, her
husband and two daughters arrive from
their native Finland, hoping to forget the
traumas of their past and put down new
roots in this harsh but beautiful land.
While herding the family’s goats on
the hostile mountain Blackåsen, one of
her daughters finds the mutilated body
of a neighbour of theirs. The death is
dismissed as a wolf attack, but Maija
feels certain that the wounds could only
have been inflicted by another man.
Her investigations encounter a wall of
indifference, and ugly secrets are soon
brought to light at the cost of great danger
to Maija and her family.

Cecilia Ekbäck, Wolf Winter. Published
by Weinstein Books Jan 2015. ISBN 13:
9781602862524, ISBN 10: 1602862524.
Cecilia Ekbäck was born in the
north of Sweden; her parents come
from Lapland. During her teens, she
worked as a journalist and after university she specialised in marketing.
In 2010, she finished a Masters in Creative Writing, under Andrew Motion, at
Royal Holloway. She lives in Calgary
with her husband and twin daughters.

This is a translation into English of the
collected folk tales of P. C. Asbjørnsen
and Jørgen Moe, first published in 1852
(following the example of the Brothers
Grimm in Germany).
The tale of Espen Ash Lad is about a
'little man who wins the princess and half
the kingdom when bigger men bite the
dust'. Espen's struggle can be considered
against the historical context of Norway
and the undercurrent of it striving for
recognition as a nation in its own right.

For anyone interested in Nordic
contemporary culture, the book presents
profiles of over a hundred of the most
important figures and institutions active
on the Scandinavian art scene today,
including artists, curators, galleries and
gallerists, critics and collectors.
Extensively illustrated (over 830
colour illustrations) and based on upto-date research, it provides a survey of
current trends and key players, including
such internationally renowned figures as
artists Elmgreen & Dragset and Ólafur
Elíasson; major private institutions
and foundations including the Astrup
Fearnley Museet of Modern Art (Oslo)
and Wanås Foundation Museum/Art
Gallery (Sweden); established museum
directors, among them Daniel Birnbaum
and Lars Nittve; and emerging talents Ida
Ekblad and Fredrik Værslev.

Espen Ash Lad - Folk Tales From Norway, translated by Robert Gambles. Published by Kirkby Stephen's Hayloft Oct
2014. Illustrated with 24 original Norwegian line drawings. ISBN: 978 191 023
7045.
Robert Gambles was born and grew up
in Derbyshire. After a professional career in Education, he has lived in Cumbria and written a number of books and
many articles on various aspects of its
history. Through his Norwegian wife he
acquired a special interest in the life and
history of Norway.

We had ten applications for this year's
grants, nine from individuals, of which
three were for Sweden, two each for
Denmark and Norway, and one each for
Finland and Iceland. Several applicants
were medical or nursing students,
but Renewable Energy, International
Relations and Ceramics were other
interests of applicants. We gave grants
to all nine: four of £175, three of
£120 and two of £75. We also had one
group application, from ‘Sail Training
Shetland’ which will involve ten young
Shetlanders being crew members on a
sailing ship and taking part in Nordisk
Sejlads in early July, giving them the
opportunity to meet and become friends
with young Scandinavians. We decided
to support them quite generously with a
grant of £400. If all offers are taken up, it
will leave us with just over £1000 in the
kitty, which is our usual policy.
If you think the travel grants are a good
idea, I would appeal to all Societies:
please send our treasurer a donation –
however modest – for next year's round!

The group administering the Trust
Fund now consists of Tony Bray, John
Christmas, Brita Green and Alfhild
Wellborne. I have agreed to remain as
chairman for another year, while John
and Tony are taking over much of the
work. Because of my long absence from
the country this year which included
the deadline for applications, John,
our treasurer, agreed to receive the
applications. In future, they should be sent
to Tony Bray. Deadline for applications:
31 March, as always.
At our meeting on 16 April, John
reported that our finances were slightly
down from last year. Early April 2014
saw us with a balance of just over £3000
before we began distributing money to
applicants. This year, before our meeting,
we had £2659. We continue to have
our regular monthly payments from Mr
Smith, for which we are very grateful, but
the call for additional standing orders has
not yet produced any significant results.
We have had three individual donations
during the year, but only two Societies
have sent contributions: Newcastle
Anglo-Scandinavian Society and York
Anglo-Scandinavian Society. As often
before, YASS was the outstanding
contributor, having sent donations adding
up to £875 during the year, raised from
various activities including the Lucia
in the Minster, as well as generously
dipping into Society funds.

Donations, please!

to the Trust Fund Treasurer:
John Christmas
22 Hobgate, York YO24 4H
Cheques made out to

CoScan Trust Fund

34

Dog-sledding in Abisko – or the worst time of the
year to visit Sweden?
by Rosie Pritchett
An ‘elective’ is a short period of time,
when dental or medical students can
stay in their home country or go abroad
to experience health care in a different
setting. Having previously spent four
weeks within a dental clinic in India, I
was interested to learn that I could also go
abroad on an ‘Erasmus exchange’ which
would last three months, January to April.
This exchange was with the Karolinska
Institute, Stockholm, a university widely
known for its research and affiliation
with the Nobel Prize. So I applied, and
on January 16th boarded a plane to
Stockholm with a brand new Didrikson's
coat and knee-high faux-fur lined walking
boots.
Most of the Swedish students I met
were amused that the exchange was
January – April; ‘the worst time of the
year to visit Sweden’, and sometimes it
was a challenge to wake up in the dark
for the 8am starts on clinic. They found
it even more amusing when I told them
that a group of us exchange students had
booked flights up to Kiruna, 145km north
of the Arctic Circle, to stay at a hostel in
Abisko National Park.
The group met at Stockholm airport
and consisted of eight people from the
UK, France, Switzerland, Spain and
Germany. We joked we had enough

thermals to clothe the whole of Abisko,
which wouldn’t actually be that difficult
as the population is only around 80
inhabitants. Arriving into Kiruna airport,
I looked out of the window to see miles
and miles of white snow interspersed by
dark scraggly-looking trees and shrubs.
Kiruna is a town which came into
existence as a result of iron-mining in the
area, a fact we were frequently reminded
of as the hostel was situated next to a
train track. Every so often, hardy looking
trains would stream past with endless
carriages filled with iron exports. Apart
from a small train station, a couple of
hostels and a Coop supermarket there
were just a few houses in Abisko town,
which borders the edge of the National
Park and a large lake. One of the main

35

Abisko hostel with cross country skis in front

attractions of Abisko is the lack of light
pollution, drawing travellers who hope
to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis,
Northern Lights.
Abisko, unsurprisingly, doesn’t have a
great public transport system. The passenger
train runs twice a day at around 12 and 2pm,
which makes a day trip virtually impossible.
The really determined visitor can book a taxi
but the best way to travel is via snowmobile
or dog-sled.
For those staying at the hostel, a
morning’s dog-sledding is included. I
was fairly anxious as we began clicking
the dogs into each sled, they were
powerful looking and howling with
anticipation for the run. The leader of
the pack was a large dog on sled 8,
which kept trying to attack the other
dogs, who would bow down in front
of him in a show of submission. I gave
him a wide berth, choosing sled 4 which
had four smaller looking, calmer dogs.

Four dogs pulling me along on the dog-sled

The dogs during a more peaceful moment

36

We set off through the wilderness, a long
winding chain of 10 dog-sled beginners
with the expert up front leading the way.
On downhills it is important to brake so
that the sled doesn’t catch up with the
dogs. This requires some degree of skill,
as the brake is a metal bar towards the
front. Stepping on this slows the sled
but leaves you slightly off-balance.
If someone does fall off, it is up to the
person in front to try and grab their rope
as the dogs run past. Each set of dogs is
racing to be at the front of the pack, if they
feel no resistance in the sled, they just
keep forging onwards. Flying through
the blank wilderness at high speed was
exhilarating and I found that choosing the
smaller dogs was actually an advantage.
The larger dogs at the rear became
lethargic and less sprightly towards the
end, requiring a bit more encouragement.

The next day we put on cross-country
skis and went down through the village
and onto the large, frozen lake which had
an island in the middle. Behind the island,
a man from one of the local towns had
bored a hole in the ice, using what looked
like a cross between a large screwdriver
and a chainsaw. The hole showed the
depth of the ice to be about 40cm. He had
passed a fishing line through the hole,
but had not caught anything yet. He’d
travelled to the lake on his snowmobile,
and on hearing that we had never driven
one before, put the keys in the ignition and
let us each take a turn.
Continuing on our journey round the
island, we came across a group of people
sat around a fire. Earlier in the day we had
unsuccessfully attempted to dig a hole in
the snow with a view to lighting a fire in
the evening. We saw our opportunity and,
remembering the spot, went to buy wood
and marshmallows. It also happened to be
the night predicted to have the clearest sky
and a good chance to see the northern lights.

Over dinner at the hostel, we
mentioned our plan and a few extra were
keen to tag along. This quickly turned
into a large group who seemed to think
we were leading some kind of ‘northern
lights viewing’ tour. It was nearing 10pm
as we left the hostel and headed across
the dark frozen lake to find the fire pit
from earlier. With the fire successfully lit,
we kept an eye out for a glimpse of the
elusive lights. Although cloudy, the lake
had an area of clear sky above it. After
about an hour we finally saw the white
lights streaked in the sky. This highlight
marked the end of our trip to the far
north and we returned to Stockholm the
following day.
The rest of my time in Stockholm flew
by quickly. Aside from attending clinics
at the dental school, I spent my time
visiting museums, enjoying the outdoor
spaces that surround Stockholm and
meeting up with friends for a fika. I have
already booked my next Scandinavian
trip!

From Liverpool to Stockholm, Erasmus 2014
by Dr Patrick Bogue, Junior doctor at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London
This journey started on a cold, crisp and
dark January evening – arriving on a flight
into Arlanda with a backpack full of winter
clothes. The Storstockholms Lokaltrafik
railway conveniently tracks south from
Arlanda to my new home on the southern
edge of Södermalm, Stockholm. The first
winter snow had recently fallen and the
Scandinavian idyll was complete.
I lived at the university halls of
residence located on a hillside overlooking
37

the frozen and bare woods of Årsta Skog.
Karolinska Institutet offered a simple,
functional and sociable living place and
I was in a dormitory with hundreds of
open-minded international students. I
spent the next few months meeting people
from as far as Argentina, Ethiopia and
Australia, exploring the cobbled streets
of Gamla Stan, the forests of Tyresta
national park and scheduling trips to our
local Systembolaget.

cal program at Karolinska
Sjukhuset was the perfect
way to unwind. With the
help of some enthusiastic Finnish students, we
stoked up a sauna and
made plenty of dips into
the ice covered lake. We
made full use of the right
to roam, allemansrätten,
a custom allowing us to
take the boats out and go hiking through
oak and pine woods.
I completed a second clinical placement
at the Paediatrics department at Södersjukhuset, one of the largest hospitals
in Stockholm. Strangely, beneath the
hospital lies an underground complex
with approximately 4,500 square metres
of space used mainly for research and
training. In the unlikely case of a suddenonset disaster or war (Sweden celebrated
200 years of peace in 2014), it can
become fully operational as a hospital.

Stadshuset ― Stockholm City Hall

As a global health graduate, I arrived
aiming to learn from a world-leading
health system. Karolinska Institutet,
my host university, were offering a four
month clinical program in maternal and
child health. In hospital, introductions
are customary in first name terms,
irrespective of your position. Doctors
and nurses always make time for fika, and
take a protected lunch hour. The strength
of this social and realistic version of
delivering modern medicine struck me as
a refreshing contrast to our over-stretched
working culture in the UK National
Health Service. Everybody in the
hospital wears the same scrub uniform,
which reflects a lack of hierarchy and
perhaps, contributes to the very low
rates of hospital-acquired infection. I
was attracted by the egalitarian working
culture and was well received by both
staff and patients.
The Karolinska Institutet student
union, known as Medicinska Föreningen, holds a fully furnished cabin by the
shore near Värmdö, Beatelund, about
40km outside Stockholm. Discovering
the countryside; boating, hiking and relaxing after a few weeks of a busy clini-

38

Arriving each day in pitch darkness and leaving
in ocean blue dusk ― Karolinska Sjukhuset

Sweden has one of the lowest child
mortality rates in the world. It achieves
this through public provision of comprehensive health services with health
spending averaging around $3,000US
per person. Hospital records, like most
data in Sweden, are almost completely
digitalised, allowing for clear and
consistent communication between health
professionals. During this placement in
Paediatrics I worked in Barnakuten, the
children’s emergency department. The
most striking observations for me were
firstly, the remarkably high staff morale,
and secondly, the extraordinary amount
of snus (chewing tobacco) which they
consume. I haven’t figured out whether

there is a significant correlation here.
I left Stockholm in the early summer
with a strong desire to return. The Erasmus program has been an exceptional
way to discover the capital of Scandinavia, make meaningful connections and
learn about a world-class health system.
I feel this experience has helped me become a more well-rounded and informed
doctor. I hope to return in the very near
future to work, basing my decision on the
extremely high living standards and the
balanced lifestyle. I am extremely thankful for the generous support provided by
the CoScan and I hope to continue to explore Scandinavia throughout my career.
Tack så mycket!

Making music in Stockholm
by Francesca Le Lohé
In April 2014, I was fortunate enough
to receive a grant from CoScan to go
towards my flights to Stockholm in August, where I was to attend a residency
at the Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) for
two weeks, researching and developing
some new music in their state-of-the-art
studios.
A residency seemed like a fantastic
way to access the things I have missed
since graduating in July 2013: expensive
software, powerful computers, soundproof studios with excellent speakers,
and advice from technicians and recording engineers.
And EMS is a fantastic place. The
studios are located in an old brewery
along with other arts organisations, with
a gorgeous view of the water and the

39

other main islands of Stockholm. (Mind
you, it is pretty difficult to not find a
gorgeous view in Stockholm.) The ethos
of the studios is great; they run courses
for musicians to learn how to use the
studios and technology, then they are free
to use them afterwards to create music
24/7. The studios attract international
artists, from those in the early stages of
their career (like me) to well established
artists, working in all fields such as
electro-acoustic (me again), techno, acid
house, noise art, sound art and installation
work, and those who play analogue
electronics, which is no surprise as they
have perhaps the biggest synthesizer
in Europe, the Buchla. The staff are all
musicians and artists in various fields
themselves and are incredibly helpful

and friendly. I would recommend anyone
interested in working in a music studio to
get themselves to EMS, sharpish!
Thanks to CoScan and EMS, I was
able to attend my first residency, an
important step for an emerging composer.
I made some sound recordings of objects
around the house before I went – an old
kettle, grinding seeds in a mortar and
pestle, a wooden spinning top, water
boiling and many others – and when I
arrived at EMS, I listened to the various
recordings carefully and explored how
I could manipulate them, pair them and
transform them into something musical.
I had never recorded found objects
before; whenever I had made electronic
music before, I had used recordings of
instruments and voices, so this was a
new way of working and thinking about
music for me. Over the course of the two
weeks, working 10am - 5 or 6pm every
day, I certainly made some rubbish. But,
this was as much a research opportunity
as it was time to create something new
and I learnt from the rubbish I made,
and so many new ideas were sparked.

Working with Pro Tools in Studio 6

By the end of my residency, instead
of one finished product, I had created
various materials and had ideas of how
to use these materials for at least two
new pieces. In October I will be writing
a piece for a workshop with a new music
group in Manchester, Sounds of the
Engine House, and I want to use some of
the music I made at EMS for this piece.
My idea is to have interplay between an
instrumental section and an electronic
section; the instruments would start but
then the electronic part would seep in,
imperceptibly at first. The electronics
would then alter and transform the piece.
The instruments would then have their
turn to seep in and adapt the electronic
music, eventually taking over and taking
the music somewhere new, and so on.
The idea is inspired by how we can adapt
to and then change our environments, for
better or worse.
Another section of music I developed
at EMS will become part of a flute and
electronics piece I am writing to be
premiered in a concert later in the year.
And I still have many more materials I
created at
EMS. I’ve
built a sort
of ‘sound
library’
for myself
which I hope
to use in
many future
projects –
so a very
productive
residency!
40

Curating in Aarhus

I had the opportunity to spend some
time in Copenhagen relaxing in the city’s
Botanical Gardens and exploring the
Nørrebro district of the city, where I was
staying. I also had the chance to travel
over the Øresund Bridge and spend a
few days in Malmö. Having been an avid
viewer of ‘The Bridge’ I was expecting
to be greeted by moody, stark buildings.
It couldn’t have been more different! The
sun was shining, the city felt so friendly,
and I found a local deli that could cater to
my newfound obsession with smørrebrød.
The view of the Øresund Bridge was
amazing, with families, business people
and tourists taking the time to enjoy the
walk and views along the waterfront.
My summer in Scandinavia was
intellectually stimulating yet relaxing
at the same time. I’ll definitely be back
again and I’d like to thank CoScan for
so kindly awarding me funds toward
my trip. Thank you so much for your
generosity!

by Rebecca Starr
Having graduated from the University
of Leeds with a degree in History of Art
with Museum Studies in July, I thought
that a Curating course at the University
of Aarhus seemed like a useful and
interesting way to spend the summer,
before starting my Master’s degree in
Art History. The course syllabus, devised
by international curators and academics,
allowed me to develop my critical
understanding of curatorial practice.
I’d definitely recommend studying at a
Danish university, there was a lot more
freedom of expression, and ideas were
discussed openly amongst students
and tutors. Aarhus was such a friendly
city with lovely buildings and so many
places of interest, in particular the ARoS
Kunstmuseum and the Museum Ovartaci.
I found it interesting to be able to view
the landscape that inspired many of the
paintings that I’d seen in Aarhus and on
a previous trip to Copenhagen. I also
had the opportunity to visit other Danish
cities. Despite its industrial areas, I found
Aalborg to be warm and welcoming and
enjoyed weaving my way through the
streets in the city centre. I was impressed
by the architecture and collection housed
at the Utzon Centre, which looked so
picturesque and modern in its waterfront
setting. One of the definite highlights was
having the opportunity to visit Lindholm
Høje, stone circles at the Viking burial
ground that had been there for over a
thousand years – the sheer volume of
stones put Stonehenge to shame!

CoScan travel grants
are awarded once a year to people
aged between 15 and 25 who are
planning a journey of an educational
nature to Scandinavia.
Further information from Tony Bray
(see p 44 for contact details).
Deadline for applications:
31 March each year.
41

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please contact:
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petercampbell321@btinternet.com
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